Advertise on podcast: The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This is a conversation with Bill Blosser, David Adelsheim, and Craig Greenleaf revolving around Oregon's landmark land use planning legislation in the early 1970s. At the urging of Governor Tom McCall, the state senate passed bills 100 and 101 in 1973, giving Oregon counties unprecedented power over their local land use planning. Bill Blosser, who had just co-founded Sokol Blosser Winery in the Dundee Hills, had a background in city planning and saw right away how the wine industry could benefit from the bills. He teamed up with David Adelsheim and others in the early days of the Oregon wine industry in order to lobby on behalf of the industry. Craig Greenleaf had been hired by Yamhill County to help implement the new laws. Together with Blosser, Adelsheim, and others, they came up with a plan that preserved much of what has become Oregon wine country, creating a template that was copied by many other counties the Willamette Valley and beyond. In this conversation, they discuss how the bills came to be, the response, and the process for implementing the wine industry's suggestions and protecting vineyard land. This conversation was led by Rich Schmidt in Linfield University's Nicholson Library in McMinnville on September 23, 2026.

This interview is with Gregory Theim, a longtime Oregon businessman and wine lover who grew up alongside the early Oregon wine industry. In this interview, Gregory shares stories of growing up around his father’s businesses, his introduction to wine, and his experiences watching Oregon wine develop. Gregory was one of five children. In the early 1970s, he and his father opened Gregory’s International, a gourmet food and wine shop at the newly developed Water Tower in Johns Landing, San Francisco. The store featured foods and specialty products from around the world, along with gourmet cheese, beer, and wine. Gregory became especially interested in Oregon wine and took wine courses at Portland State to learn more about it. Through tasting, traveling, and talking with some of Oregon’s early winemakers, Gregory gained a deeper appreciation for the industry. He remembers Dick Erath in particular as both a friend and mentor during those early pioneering years. After running the grocery business with his father until 1979, Gregory went on to become a home builder and later opened a Traeger sales and supply store in Sherwood. Through his businesses, he continues working with early Oregon winemakers and customers and helped spread the word about Oregon wine. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon on September 21, 2026.

This interview is with Hopper Canty of Negociant PDX in Portland, Oregon. In this interview, Hopper discusses his journey from music to the wine industry.  Hopper discusses growing up in San Diego, having a very outdoorsy childhood and originally had more interest in music than wine. After moving to Portland at 18, he attended PCC’s music production program and later began playing music all around Portland. A trip to Europe after graduating opened his eyes to the stories, history, and artistry behind wine, and he quickly developed a much bigger interest in the industry.  While working at New Seasons during the pandemic, Hopper eventually found his way to Negociant PDX. He spent years learning about wine through books, studying maps and French wine, and attending weekly tastings with distributors. Over time, he worked his way up and gained more freedom to explore the wines he was excited about, from natural wines to traditional Burgundies.  Today, Hopper helps shape Negociant’s neighborhood wine café atmosphere through programs like their glass pour selection, Wine Wednesday, and small wine club tastings. Outside of wine, he continues to play music in dive bars around downtown Portland and plans to release music with his band soon. Hopper hopes to continue growing Negociant, expand its wine education and events, and possibly even start a Youtube channel one day.  This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Negociant PDX in Portland, Oregon on September 16, 2026.

This interview is with Chris Luby who worked at Cherry Hill winery and Dobbes Family Estate.  Chris discusses his journey into the wine industry and how his career has changed over the years. Chris originally became interested in wine after a honeymoon trip to Napa Valley in the late 1980’s, where he developed an interest in sparking wine. With a background in business and economics, he originally worked in insurance before deciding to pursue a career in wine. He taught himself about wine through reading and then decided he wanted to give it a try so he applied to work at High Pass Winery and completed a harvest internship there. Chris began his winemaking career after being referred to a cellar job at what was formally known as Flynn Winery, where he worked a little over 3 years. He later worked at Cherry Hill, where he began making his own wine from 2003-2010. After Cherry Hill, Chris spent three years as a winemaker while also working in marketing and sales at Olsen Family Vineyards.  Chris then spent ten years at Hobbes Family Estate as a vineyard liaison and senior cellar technician. After deciding he wanted a change from the wine industry, he began working at Prestige Senior Living as an Enrichment Assistant. He also works as a certified personal trainer at Southwest Community Gym.  This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon on September 15, 2026.

This interview is with Zach Mance of Sidereus Winery & Vineyard. In this interview, Zach discusses his journey into the wine industry and what led him to pursue a career in wine. Zach is originally from upstate New York and attended college at Ithaca College, where he studied film and cinema making. After graduating, Zach went wine tasting with friends, which sparked his interest in wine. He eventually moved back to Ithaca and got a job at a winery, beginning his career in the wine industry.  Zach later moved to Oregon in 2011 and continued building his experience in the wine industry. He started at Cooper Mountain Vineyard, where he worked as a Tasting Room Associate, then continued his career at Ardiri Winery & Vineyards as a Tasting Room Manager before eventually joining Sidereus Vineyard & Winery, where he has worked as a Hospitality Manager for the last five years.  Throughout his career, Zach has expanded his knowledge of wine, developed his palate, and became involved in wine education. He has also earned WSET certifications and developed wine education classes, including Wine 101 and Wine 102: A brief History of Wine. At Sidereus, Zach has helped build the wine club, create a welcoming tasting room experience with awesome monthly events and share his passion for Oregon wine with customers.  This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Sidereus Winery & Vineyard in Cornelius on August 27, 2026.

This interview is with Skip & Ruth Tarr of Sidereus Winery & Vineyard. In this interview, Skip & Ruth discuss what brought them to the wine industry and what they are still learning. The couple talks about how it wasn’t actually wine that brought them to the wine industry. After retirement, Skip & Ruth were looking to move into the country to find their final home. When looking at properties in 2020, they fell in love with the location and view of their current property, it just happened to have a vineyard. When they figured they didn’t have anything specific to do after retirement, they decided to take on the challenge of starting up the winery as people who knew very little about wine. Skip & Ruth discuss their road to Sidereus. Not knowing much about the industry, the two hired a winemaker and tasting room manager to help them along the way. Luckily they scored two people who had previous experience and knew what it took to create and open a successful winery. Since they started their venture during the pandemic, they had to soft-launch Sidereus by hosting tastings on the crush pad. As for the name, Ruth would look up what certain words were in Latin and see if they were already taken. Remembering the first word she used to describe the property, heavenly, the winery was named the Latin version, also meaning divine and starry. Later in the interview, the couple talks about being newcomers within the industry. Although they haven’t been in the industry for long, they have already experienced what it’s all about. They explained their experiences with collaboration and generosity within the industry. They believe the industry attracts good people. The two are proud of what they have been able to accomplish in a short amount of time and hope to see more growth in the future. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Sidereus Winery & Vineyard in Cornelius on August 27, 2026.

This interview is with Alberto Alcazar of Lanphere Cellars. In this interview, Alberto discusses joining the Oregon wine industry in the late 90s and how it has changed over time. Alberto talks about moving to Oregon in 1993 and starting in the industry. Alberto moved from California to Oregon in search for good education for his family. During this time, Alberto discovered his loved of Oregon Pinot Noir and took the opportunity to be on the bottling line for Ken Wright in 1997. From there, Alberto was hired full-time and continued working at Ken Wright for the next 20 years. In 1998, Alberto started taking winemaking and vineyard management courses at Chemeketa during the pioneer phase of the program. Alberto notes that he had to learn English alongside the course material. Alberto discusses working with Ken Wright and his development in the cellar. For a long time, Alberto was in the role of cellar master as Ken’s right-hand. Alberto was heavily involved in the winemaking and learned to trust the taste of the grapes. Alberto explains his enjoyment of seeing the transformation from vines to glass. While working at Ken Wright, Alberto helped create the Armonéa Wines label in 2008. After almost a decade, Alberto purchased the Armonéa inventory in 2017. In 2018, Alberto joined forced with Bob Lanphere Jr. as the vineyard manager and winemaker of Lanphere Cellars. Later in the interview, Alberto talks about the future at Lanphere and what wine means to him. Alberto believes that it is more important to increase the quality of wine rather than making more of it. Alberto plans to continuously increase the quality of the wines he makes. Alberto loves when his wines are making people happy. To Alberto, wine is about friends and family. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Lanphere Cellars in Aurora on August 25, 2026.

This interview is with David Andreani of Cherry Hill Winery. In this interview, David discusses his beginnings within the wine industry in France and continuing that journey in America. David talks about his entrance into the wine industry. David’s good friend’s parents owned a vineyard in the south of France and David was asked to help out when times were stressful. David happily agreed to help because he got free food, free lodging, and free wine. David started with vineyard maintenance until he asked to work a harvest in 2002. From there, David did some picking and carrying and eventually was named the chief of harvest. When the winemaker left, David stepped into that role as well. After 10 years of working for that winery, David made the move to the U.S. David discusses his adventures in the U.S. and his transition to Oregon. Starting in North Carolina and Montana, David worked as a landscaper, bike/ski tech, and even a chocolatier. During this time, David would go back to France every harvest to continue nurturing his passion for wine. When his then girlfriend was looking to get her PhD, David insisted she find a school in wine country, thus David ended up in Oregon. After dropping off resumes at many different wineries, David settled at Cherry Hill as the winemaker in 2018. Even after 8 years at Cherry Hill, David notes the difficulties of working in an American winery. Along with the amount of cleaning, David still has trouble converting the metrics he is used to. Later in the interview, David talks about his future outside of Oregon. David is making the move to Yakima, Washington where he plans to continue his winemaking career. David believes that change has always suited him and it’s time for another adventure. Along with his new work, David has goals of making wine just for fun for himself. He hasn’t yet been able to make wine just how he likes it, but he cannot wait to make the wine perfect for him. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Cherry Hill Winery in Rickreall on August 24, 2026.

This interview is with Eliseo Bell-Uribe of Heartland Ciderworks. In this interview, Eliseo discusses his experiences within the traditional cider industry. Eliseo talks about his decision to join the cider industry. Throughout the years, cider has always been Eliseo’s favorite alcoholic beverage to enjoy. During Eliseo’s experimentation trying fermented beverages, he was studying economics at Oregon State University in hopes of going into governmental economics. When that didn’t pan out as he expected, he decided to dive head-first into the cider industry. Eliseo had been working at a farm market that grew apples and produced traditional cider. After using some of those apples to make his own “laundry bucket cider,” Eliseo spent some time as a cidermaker at Bauman’s Cider Company until he went on to create his own brand. Eliseo discusses starting Heartland on his own. Eliseo’s goal was to showcase what cider can be. Heartland focuses on traditional cidermaking, meaning it has more tannins, higher acids, is not as sweet, and is unflavored. Eliseo actually rents floor space at a winery to make his cider. With a lack of proper equipment, Eliseo uses winery equipment to crush his fruit and store his cider. Currently, Eliseo does everything himself to produce Heartland ciders. Eliseo plans to keep the operation small as long as possible and make slow, steady growth. However, Eliseo has goals of adding balsamic vinegar and non-alcoholic cider to his inventory.  Later in the interview, Eliseo talks about the legal struggles that he comes across when producing a traditional cider brand. In the current climate, Eliseo believes there is a hole in the market for traditional cider. He explains that it is difficult to get his products into retail stores and restaurants even after winning multiple awards from Northwest Cider Cup. Eliseo also expresses his opinions on frustrating cider laws that prohibit cider labels from featuring the vintage and growing region. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 20, 2026.

This interview is with Will Craigie of Bryn Mawr Vineyards. In this interview, Will discusses the many pivots he took that led him to the wine industry. Will talks about his beginnings as a musician and performer. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Will performed in an acoustic rock band as a guitar player. After many incredible experiences within the music industry, Will decided he needed a lifestyle change in 2006. During his time as a musician, Will worked in restaurants on the side. After leaving the music industry, Will continued working in restaurants in the kitchen, guiding the chaos of service. Later, Will started working in a kitchen at a wine tasting venue where he learned a lot about wine through making wine lists and taking opportunities to help on the line. Will discusses his transition to Oregon and the wine industry. Will’s boss at the restaurant had sent Will on a trip to the Willamette Valley to taste wines and bring back to the restaurant. Will was captured by Oregon and decided to make another pivot into the Oregon wine industry, not at a winery, but as a wine tour driver. Will started his own wine tour company and took people across the valley for tastings, frequently visiting Bryn Mawr. When Will’s business went under during the pandemic in 2020, he started working part-time at Bryn Mawr as a cellar assistant. By 2021, Will was brought on full-time as a cellar assistant and before that harvest was over, he was named cellar master. In 2022, Will transitioned into an assistant winemaker role. Later in the interview, Will talks about his future and the future of the Oregon wine industry. Will is happy at Bryn Mawr and does not plan on going anywhere. Will believes he still has more to learn at Bryn Mawr, specifically the vineyard side of things. As for the wine industry, Will trusts that things will regenerate as they have done in the past. He has hopes for the future for himself and the industry. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Bryn Mawr Vineyards in Salem on August 19, 2026.

This interview is with Elishca Charles of Kann. In this interview, Elishca discusses her journey through hospitality and what it means to her. Elishca talks about her early aspirations of becoming a military doctor, studying public health in college. When Elishca realized that career might not bring her the most joy, she started working in restaurants and never left. Elishca started learning about wine with her coworkers and continued educating herself from there. After the pandemic, that restaurant could not keep her in the same capacity, so she switched to the hotel industry as a food and beverage manager where she got experience in event planning. Throughout this time, Elishca was growing her wine knowledge and wanted to work in a winery. Visiting Oregon awhile back, Elishca decided to make the move in 2023 and secured a job at Domaine Serene. Elishca discusses her experiences within the Willamette Valley and her transition to Kann. Elishca had always loved Oregon Pinot Noir and grew a deeper appreciation for the Willamette Valley working for Domaine Serene. She hoped people left the winery feeling curious to try more wines and exposed to what is in our backyard. From there, Elishca was offered the opportunity to interview with Kann for a general manager position. Elishca had dined at Kann previously, and had dreamed of working there. Kann combined Elishca’s Haitian culture and the food she grew up eating with her love of wine.  Later in the interview, Elishca talks about what hospitality means to her. Elishca defines hospitality as an unwritten and unspoken language. She believes that hospitality is felt immediately when walking into a new place. She notes an experience she had with her grandmother in Haiti who did not share the same language. Elishca explains that her grandmother communicated through food and hospitality, something she takes with her throughout the industry. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Kann in Portland on August 18, 2026.

This interview is with Carrie Higgins of Press Printing & Packaging. In this interview, Carrie discusses her part within the wine industry and starting her own company. Carrie talks about looking for a relationship-based career right out of college. In 1993, Carrie started as a sales rep for a wine labeling company after finding the role in a newspaper. After building relationships within the wine industry, Carrie knew she found her people. At the time, she was working with the pioneers of the industry and making connections with the future generations of the Oregon wine industry.  Becoming enamored with the wine industry, Carrie helped build a printing company’s successful labeling division until she starting her own company in 2020. Carrie discusses what drove her to start her own company. Although at a successful company, Carrie felt limited in what she could offer to her partners. She created Press to help out the little guys. She found ways to save costs on printing and was able to give specialized services to individual wine brands. Unique to Press, Carrie works with about seven different print partners to give each client exactly what they need at a fair price. Carrie’s biggest success story is A to Z. Carrie has been with A to Z since the beginning and has helped grow the brand into what it is today through labeling.  Later in the interview, Carrie talks about her perspective on the current climate of the industry. While she predicts consolidation and closure of wineries, she is optimistic about the future. Carrie believes people are not going to stop drinking wine and the industry isn’t going anywhere. Although the industry is not experiencing the huge growth of previous years, the exponential growth was not sustainable. While the industry is looking for every way to save money during this time, Carrie predicts Oregon wine will come out on the other side.   This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Carrie’s mobile office in West Linn on August 17, 2026.

This interview is with Aaron Kirschnick of Galaxy Wine Company. In this interview, Aaron discusses his work selling wine in almost every medium and the story that inspired his Pinot Noir Rosé, Mano Coronuto Wine. Aaron talks about starting out in restaurants on the culinary side where he started learning about wine. When the hours were not sustainable, Aaron decided to pursue his interest in wine, starting out at a wine importing company. After a serious health scare, Aaron felt he needed a change but wanted to stay in wine. Aaron transitioned into sales and has worked in almost every aspect of wine sales including retail, wholesale, and direct to consumer, eventually landing at Galaxy. Aaron plans to stay at Galaxy until he potentially goes off on his own, pursing his personal wine dreams. Aaron discusses the story behind creating his own wine in the hopes of helping other people. In May of 2025, Aaron was diagnosed with throat cancer. During his time at the hospital receiving treatment, he watched his fellow patients struggle with the financial burden of chemotherapy, and wanted to help. Thus, Aaron created Mano Cornuto Wines that raises money for the Willamette Valley Cancer Foundation. When Aaron was too sick to produce the wine, the industry stepped in and produced 3 barrels of wine for his cause the first year. Now that Aaron is cancer-free, he plans to be more hands-on as the project continues.  Later in the interview, Aaron talks about the future of the Oregon wine industry. Aaron believes that people with passion and a story sell wine and those stories won’t go away. Aaron is optimistic for Oregon wine and thinks there is still room for growth. He hopes to see more varietals in the valley as the industry evolves. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 11, 2026.

This interview is with Scott Sabbadini of Bjornson Vineyard. In this interview, Scott discusses his experiences within the wine industry and achieving his dream of working in the Willamette Valley. Scott talks about growing up in an Italian family who visited Italy multiple times throughout his childhood. Wine had always been on the table and he always associated it with connection. When it was time to go off to college, Scott followed in his parents’ footsteps and went to UC Davis. Scott’s father had suggested he take a few winemaking courses and eventually, Scott declared winemaking as his major. After spending a year abroad in Italy and finishing school, Scott jumped right into the industry. Scott discusses his various jobs within and adjacent to the industry. Scott’s first real harvest in the industry was in 2006 as an assistant winemaker in a two-person operation. Here, Scott gained a lot of experience within a short amount of time. Scott experienced the opposite scale of production when he did a harvest in New Zealand. Scott believes most people in the industry should experience working in such a large scale because those skills are incredibly transferrable. After working various assistant winemaking jobs, Scott knew he wanted to take the next step. Although before that next step, Scott brewed beer for a year instead. When he decided brewing wasn’t for him, he went back to wine and is now the head winemaker for Bjornson. Later in the interview, Scott talks about his role at Bjorson and his view on the Oregon wine industry. Scott started at Bjornson in July of 2019 when he was able to prove himself as a quality winemaker before the smoke of 2020. From there, Scott has been experimenting with different varietals and even started a custom crush program at Bjornson on top of starting his own consulting business. As for the industry, Scott is excited about the overlap of institutional knowledge and young ambition within Oregon wine. Scott is having fun on this wave of expansion and experimentation. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 10, 2026.

This interview is with Jon Larson & Boyd Pearson of Redolent Wine Company. In this interview, the two discuss bonding over wine and starting their own brand. Jon & Boyd talk about first meeting in 2008 when Boyd and his wife moved to Portland. Boyd moved across the street from Jon and Jon noticed they disposed of a lot of wine bottles. With a huge interest in fermentation, Jon became friends with Boyd and they started talking about wine. Jon knew the fermentation and Boyd knew wine and sales. After a friend had some extra fruit, the neighbors decided they were going to make some wine, something they had many conversations about on Jon’s porch. The friends discuss the development of Redolent and their unique style of wine. Jon & Boyd picked the name “Redolent” because it essentially means a smell or taste that brings back a memory. Jon describes it as “tater tots are redolent of grandma’s house.” Although they were originally worried people wouldn’t be able to pronounce it, the name reflects how they want their wines to be redolent of the fruit it was made with. Redolent wines are made with fruit that was picked early. The two enjoy the delicate nature of these wines and the ability to drink more of it. Redolent released its first vintage in 2015 as a small project between friends who would be happy even if the wine didn’t sell because that meant they could drink it themselves. Later in the interview, Jon & Boyd talk about their plans and aspirations for the future. As of this interview, Jon & Boyd still have day jobs and Redolent is their side project. The dream is to make Redolent their full-time gig and have their wines age well over time. Even if that doesn’t happen, the two would be happy to just simply keep hanging out and drinking wine together. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Jon’s house in Portland on August 7, 2026.